3rd Lead (Correction, added details)
SLA escorted convoy with LTTE officials ambushed
[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 June 2005, 09:18 GMT]
A convoy carrying Amparai Political Head of the Liberation Tigers, Mr. Kuyilinpan and other LTTE political staff, with Sri Lanka Army (SLA) escort facilitated by Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), was attacked at Welikanda at 2.55 PM Sunday, Welikanda Police said. The bus carrying around 40 eastern LTTE officials from Kilinochchi to Batticaloa was ambushed with a land mine, but none were killed as the vehicle narrowly escaped the impact of the bomb. One LTTE official was injured in the attack. The ambush took place between two Sri Lankan military camps, at Boaththe, around 1 km from Welikanda SLA base. The convoy resumed its journey towards Batticaloa with high security, Police said.
The explosion was caused by a remote-controlled mine and not by a claymore mine as reported earlier, LTTE officials traveling the bus said.
The convoy escaped full blast of the explosion as it was traveling on the opposite side of the road to negotiate large potholes where the mine was buried, LTTE officials added.
A woman official of the LTTE, Ms S Tharsa, was discharged shortly after being admitted to Welikanda hospital, according to Welikanda Police ASP M P Dayaratne.
Rear side of the bus was damaged, as the bus narrowly escaped the landmine attack, he added.
The bus with SLA escort set off from Omanthai SLA checkpoint Sunday morning towards Black Bridge SLA checkpoint in Chenkalady, sources said.
The bus was carrying Amparai Political Head of the LTTE and other eastern political officials who were staying in Kilinochchi without transportation facilities for more than four weeks, LTTE sources said.
The LTTE had earlier cancelled a transport with SLA escort as it received intelligence reports of a possible Claymore attack in Welikanda area, added LTTE sources in Kilinochchi.
Liberation Tigers accuse the Sri Lanka armed forces of using paramilitaries working with them to target their top officials and cadres.
On 7th February 2005, Mr E Koushalyan, Political Head of the LTTE for the Batticaloa and Amparai districts, former TNA Member of parliament for the Amparai district Mr.Ariyanayagam Chandra Nehru, three other LTTE cadres, and the driver of the vehicle in which they were travelling towards Batticaloa, were shot and killed between Welikanda army camp and the Punnanai army camp, on the Pollonnorawa-Batticaloa road.
Welikanda, bordering the Batticaloa and Polannaruwa districts is located around 65 km northwest of Batticaloa.